If this posting is an indication of what was felt at CPAC (and there are some indications there were plenty who do harbor these feelings) then conservative movement is going to find it difficult to ban together to challenge the Dems. The Dems are cut-throat and will do anything to win, even if that means lying down with the suicidal anti-war left. The Far right has the opposite problem. They are so bent on purity they reject any waivering to purity. Their insulting arrogance is not only getting old and tiresome, one has to wonder if they actually want to accomplish anything at all. Let’s examine some indicators which do not bode well for the Reps as currently configured:

…there is considerable grumbling about the health of the movement. From conservative pioneers to up-and-coming true believers, many attendees are looking for leaders — and theyâ€™re uncertain about the current crop of presidential candidates and not even thrilled with the current occupant of the White House.

…

Itâ€™s a struggle,â€ said conservative activist and public relations specialist Mike Thompson. â€œConservatives want to win, but they arenâ€™t really sure the guys at the top of the field are conservative.â€ Reconciling purity and pragmatism is always a challenge, Thompson added, but itâ€™s especially so going into 2008 because â€œof the fear of the other side.â€

This is a very strange and twisted statement, but it goes to the heart of the problem – the drive for mythical purity. There is no perfection or purity, and those who believe in this fantasy end up throwing out realistic opportunities for a mirage. And their anger at not being able to obtain these fantasies is always laid at the feet of those who are ‘pragmatic’ (i.e., realistic). And note the insecurity in the emotion: “fear”. What is there to “fear” from the “other side”? Does this mean purity will take a back seat in 2008? We saw purity work its magic in 2006 and all it got us was Liberal garbage.

tâ€™s not just skepticism about McCain, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney that has members of the movement in a funk.

While conservatives here are appreciative of his steadfastness in the war on terror, President Bush has disappointed some on the right who had high hopes.

Bush has â€œmade so many mistakes,â€ said the Eagle Forumâ€™s Phyllis Schlafly. â€œThe war is a disaster and he flubbed the [immigration] issue.â€

And the leading GOP contenders to succeed Bush? â€œTheyâ€™re all equally unacceptable,â€ Schlafly said.

Yeah, but they are the only ones who are also electable. And Bush did not lose Congress over the immigration issue, the less popular Rep Congress is the mastermind of that debacle. This revisionist denial doesn’t bode well for a quick turn around for the Reps. The far right has lost much its influence and the broader conservative coalition which can win elections. Their access to power has to be arm-in-arm with the more moderate conservatives. They have no choice. The question is whether the far right will succumb and accept this reality or stand alone and in the minority.

40 Responses to “Republicans Are Wandering In The Political Desert”

Terrye, you have been looking at this problem through the past, not the present or the future. I am not against a guest worker program, I am even not against amnesty for some with clean records! I have no problem with those folks that have lived here a while and speak english and don’t break the law and are good citizens becoming legalized Americans. No problem at all. I know a lot of them down here. The problem is, and you seem to keep missing, the immigration program that they are proposing is an unprecedented leap toward erasing the border all together. I’ve ask you before and I never get a real answer, do you think we can take another 191 million legal immigrants over the next twenty years? Because that is what they are talking about doing. This country has never absorbed that many people that fast in history. That’s two thirds the population of the country now! I know we need good immigration legislation, but this is not it. This bill amounts to total capitualation and a no limits immigration and amnesty policy. If we make coming to America easy as registering your car, then we will have cities grow at a rate that cannot be sustained. When LA has hospital emergency rooms shutting down because they can’t give out free healthcare to illegals anymore, the situation is getting out of hand. And that is just the point. The situation is getting wildly out of control just saying OK lets bring over ten times as many is not a solution the problem.

Again, what is the point of passing a law that you have no intention of enforcing!?! The point is to tell Mexico, C’mon down. If you can’t see the similarities between this and whats happening in France and the rest of Europe, you’re not paying any attention. It’s already a foregone conclusion that these sell-politicians and balless republicans are going to get this legislation passed and Bush will sign it because he has always been someone who wants to erase the border anyway. The other certainty is that we will discover in a few short years that we have made a terrible mistake.

I said everything that needed to be said about illegal immigration.
Getting back to the original discussion, in my humble opinion, the only one who seems to be the closest to a “dream candidate” is Duncan Hunter.
Unfortunately he is almost unknown to the people, but I would do anything to elect him.

Carol-H,
You have no idea what you’re talking about wrt to Bush. The tax cuts are the engine driving the very good economy, and the tax cuts are strongly supported by vast majority of US voters. Yeah, it would have been nice if Bush would have used the veto a few times for some of the spending bills. But consider, the Bush presidency started in a recession left from the Clintonites (among many other piles of crap), then came 9-11 and Katrina, not to mention the rogue/unstable leaders of NK & Iran and the rising challenge of the Islamo nazis. And thru it all the economy has churned on quite well.

I like Bush and I think most Amercians like him, too. I think you’re wrong about him being a spoiled brat. Sure when he was young etc., but he’s beyond that. He went thru a lot with his dad’s campaigns and learned as Texas gov, and of course 9-11 changed everything — how could it not? Do I favor/support everything Bush does (as AJ seems to) — no. He’s too soft on illegal immigration, he’s spent too much, he’s nominated some good judges but many more should have been confirmed. And b/c of the woeful WH communications team, he’s always fighting low poll numbers and having to defend policy & actions. To Bush’s defense, I don’t remember another president facing the same non-stop onslaught of attacks & vitriol & contempt & hate from the other side and the media. Yes, Reagan faced it & Clinton to a lesser extent (but his was deserved), but I don’t think anything like “W”. If Iraq improves and the media reporting is fair, then Bush’s poll numbers will shoot up nicely.

Carol H,
Your claim that Bush “squandered our surplus” is not supported by facts. The “Clinton Recession” was ended by his successful tax cuts. The GWOT has taken capital. The Prescription Drug Plan is successful by any measure and has private insurers competing vigorously.

Bikerken,
Some of your issues are with congress. I question the 191 million over 20 years. It’s not possible, unless there is a huge need for workers. And Bush wants to match workers with jobs. “Enforcement” is futile without a well designed program.

“Bush will sign it because he has always been someone who wants to erase the border anyway.” – You know that’s exaggeration.

“As for the issue of amnesty, what do you propose? Rounding up 11 million people and shipping them over the border? . . . How do you do that? How many people would you hire to do the law enforcement and what agencies would employ them? How big would the fence be and how long would it take to build? How many courts, detention centers and public defenders would it take to round and deport 11 million people. What do you do with the families who have children who are American citizens and what about the labor they provide? Do you really think you can jerk all those people out of the work force without any economic backlash? Will you pick the fruit and work the fields? How much will it cost, can it even be done?”

Ahh, Terrye, a perfectly reasonable-sounding question, but one that I think reflects a certain fundamental misunderstanding of the political dynamics at work here. See, while every one of the specific questions you ask implicates an obvious aspect of the â€œenforcement onlyâ€ policy, it overlooks the answer common to all of them. Specifically, the committed Republican idealists on this issue couldnâ€™t care any less about the practical consequences of such a law; all they really care about is getting it passed without any dilution, such as â€œpaths to citizenshipâ€ or the like. Because the only thing that ultimately matters is the MESSAGE, not the practical effects. Which is? Oh, thatâ€™s easy: WE HATE WETBACKS!

Here’s a few specific observations from this thread:

“Nor do you ever have the Intelect to debate it. Because you are a RINO. And because you are so under educated on the problem, you are affraid to debate people who study this daily.”

“Unfortunately, we elected a man into office who is a lightweight. Canâ€™t convince the American people of anything. And, sometimes I think he doesnâ€™t even care. . . . . By the time Bush leaves office? You wonâ€™t be able to get another bush or shrub elected for some time to come!”

“a candidate would advocate forcefully enforcing the existing immigration laws, coupled with denying ANY benefits to illegals, the illegals would self-deport and that candidate would be elected in a huge landslide. We are tired of being played for fools by the demsheviks and checkpants republicrats.”

“You arrogant assholes sit their in your cozy little bedroom communities back east and infer that we are bigots as we watch our towns and communities become lawless little third world countries and have the nerve to complain about it! It is you people who are destroying the republican party with your ignorance of a problem which the rest of the nation can see a lot better.”

“Itâ€™s already a foregone conclusion that these sell-politicians and balless republicans are going to get this legislation passed and Bush will sign it because he has always been someone who wants to erase the border anyway.”

God, itâ€™s just so sad to see Republicans tearing each other to shreds in pointless, self-indulgent ideological conflicts, like high school seniors in a battle for class president. I donâ€™t think Republicans have expressed this much internecine, fratricidal hatred since the Barry Goldwater debacle of â€™64. But donâ€™t worry, this landslide is bound to be a little less historical in scope.

Of course, Republicans are PRAYING for an Obama nomination . . . because, well . . . WINK, WINK . . .we know why! Sorry, it just ainâ€™t gonna happen. Nope; Al GORE is going to be re-elected to a second term. The reason? Simple. Gore is not only highly respected by the American people, but he represents everything this country could have been had an imbecile with a 28% approval rating not been installed in the Oval Office for the past eight years. Oh yes, but you can still count on Obama; heâ€™s going to be VICE-PRESIDENT. So the Republicans may as well start dreaming of 2016!!

From 1789 to 1960 American leaders were obsessed about who came to this country, what beliefs they braught, what their innate capacity was to become a part of the American People.
After each wave of immigrants reached our shores, restrictions were imposed until the new immigrants had been ASSIMILATED.
After the Great Wave from Southern and Eastern Europe, in the period 1890 to 1920, we had the most restrictive immigration laws in our history, up until 1965.
After the immigration act of 1924, we took in less immigrants from 1925 to 1965 than in any previous point. This was to help the ASSIMILATION process.
In 1965 we opened the flood gates, and it’s been a flood of legal and illegal ever sense.
Prior to 1965 the highest amount of Legal immigrants we let into our country per year was 165,000. Currently, we let in around 700,000 per year, and another 1,000,000 on various Visa’s. Currently there are around 4,000,000 people here on EXPIRED Visa’s alone. And we have no system in place to know where they are.
I think Assimilation is very important. And if you look around, it’s just not happening like it should, or like it use to. I believe the reason why is simple. Numbers. We simple are letting far to many come here at one time to assimilate, legal or illegal. Another factor is, we make it easy NOT to assimilate, and in many instances, we encourage it. Multiculturalism tells them no Culture is superior to any other Culture. All Cultures are of Equal Value. This is wrong, and it is bad for our country.
And with the modern society with the ability to go anywhere in the world within 24 hours, communications to link you anywhere in the world instantaniously, and satellite providers read to beam into you home, television stations from what should be your old country, rather than programing from the country you moved to, this makes Assimilation today, that much harder. I have friens at work from India. The have satellite dishes that beam Indian television to their homes in Charlotte. Where I work, at lunch time, everyone is segregated into groups. African Muslims at one table speaking their native language. Indians at one table speaking their native language. Vietnamese at one table speaking their language. Cambodians at one table doing the same. I ask you, is this ASSIMILATION? Of course not! We have simply lost all control of the Immigration Process, legal and Illegal.
We have had several un assimilated Muslims shooting up the country in recent years. From the Beltway to Seattle to Salt Lake, to Chapple hill, un assimilated people who hate America, and who ( in this example) hate non Muslims.
Now, with South Americans ( mostly Mexicans) it is even worse. We currently let 500,000 Mexicans per year come here legally. If there was not a single ILLEGAL, that is still too large a number for Assimilation into Our Culture, Our Values, and Our Society. But when you add AT LEAST the same amount to that in ILLEGAL ALIENS as well, it leads to a complete break down of the Host Countries Society.
My Aunt and here parents came here from Mexico Legally in the early 1960’s. Back then, they came here, addopted our values, Assimilated into our culture, and learned our language. My cousins, who are 50% mexican, can not speak spanish! My aunt can, but her children can not. My aunt and uncle wanted their children to be American and have American values.
So what do we have now. We have Bi-Lingual education. This teaches them in SPANISH. My, that aught to help them ASSIMILATE!! We are recruting teachers from MEXICO to teach THEIR CITIZENS in Texas, because the Invasion of Un-Assimilated people from Mexico is so large, we don’t have enough Americans to teach them in Spanish.
We let them open saving accounts with out any American forms of Identification. Want a Drivers License? No Problemo, just bring a Metricular Counselar Card, which ANYONE, under ANY ASSUMED name can get, and the license is YOUR in MOST STATES. Be sure to sign up for Motor Voter on your way out.
And well, even if you don’t have a legal Social Security Number, we want to help you! Why, just don’t bounce a check for 90 days, and we’ll give you a Credit Card. Use any name you like, we don’t care. Be sure to apply for a HOME LOAN after the 90 days, again we don’t care who you are, no real ID required.
Need a doctor, no problemo, stop by the emergency room!
Live in California? Are You Illegal? Great, we will give you $500.00!
Can’t read the Yellow Pages? Hey, we will print it in English and Spanish! Stop by Lowes or the Home Depot, all the signs are in English and Spanish. No Assimilation Required, see store for Details!
Using the ATM Machine? English or Spanish. And the list goes on for miles.
So the Melting Pot of America, where everyone use to come to be AMERICANS, has been replaced with Group Think, Group Identity, and Group Rights!!
But don’t worry, everythings cool. Nothing to worry about, just move along.

Just look at the overwhelming Numbers in the Polls AJ wants to ignore!

Survey of 1,000 Adults
September 1-2, 2006

Do You Favor Strict Sanctions on Employers who Hire Illegal Immigrants
Favor 60% A LARGE MAJORITY, NO?
Oppose 25%

â€œAs you may know Congress has passed and President Bush has signed legislation that would build a 700 mile fence and increase security along the Mexican-U.S. border. Do you think additional measures are needed from Congress to deal with illegal immigrants entering the country or do you think this is enough for now?â€

â€œWhich comes closer to your point of view? Illegal immigrants in the long-run become productive citizens and pay their fair share of taxes. OR, Illegal immigrants cost the taxpayers too much by using government services like public education and medical services.â€ Options rotated

.

Pay Fair Share29%
Cost Too Much 66% IS THAT A MAJORITY?????
Neither/ Both (vol.)/Unsure 4%

OW, IT’S BREAKING MY HEART! THIS CAN’T BE!

All I did was type in Illegal Immigration Polls at Yahoo, and there she be! What do you know!

I think most people realize, because they see it in their communities, we have a BIG problem. And no one in Leadership Positions has any serious way to fix it. To much campaighn cash at stake from big business, to many votes to be had on the other side. Wala! Paralysis.
The Country, The Culture, The Society be dammed, I have an Election to win!
Of course those living in the Up Scale Neighborhoods don’t see the problem. All the see is Pedro sure mows that lawn well, and cheap too! And Maria, why no one does laundry like she can! And the bathrooms, God they are clean!

POMONA – Shortly after her son’s killer pleaded guilty Friday to his cold-blooded murder, the mother of sheriff’s Deputy David March denounced the U.S. government’s failure to control the nation’s borders.

“It’s my belief that it’s our government and the activities that are going on at our borders that were the real killers of Dave, allowing illegal immigration, chaos, lawlessness to thrive in our wonderful country,” Barbara March said outside the courtroom.

“And I think our politicians in Washington should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this country to come to a situation where these killers are able to come in and ruin the lives of Americans.

“And it’s happening every day … The real people that were accountable for this crime live in the White House. And I’m really sorry to say that.”

Barbara March spoke out after Jorge Arroyo Garcia, 30, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the April 29, 2002, slaying. Two counts of attempted murder were dismissed in a plea deal with prosecutors, and he was immediately sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Garcia – a gang member and career criminal –

had been deported to Mexico four times

before he shot March at point-blank range during a traffic stop alongside a freeway in Irwindale. He fled to his native country and was extradited back to the United States only after a protracted legal battle.

I fled a communist country in Eastern Europe only to find the same bolsheviks playing the same deadly games here, now, under the demshevik banner…
God help us all, because I do not want to lose my new country as my old one was lost to the same thugs.

All the more to make the Democrats a minority party. Problem is that the Republican party does not know how to operate as a majority party, especially after one too many screw ups in their last two years as the majority in both houses.

We really need to build a very strong Republican party. Doesn’t mean an extreme to the right party but not a mixture of Lincoln Chafee, Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, Chuck Hagel, et al. Only way to overcome the Democratic obstructionism once the Republicans gain the majority power back.

Speaking of the republicrats, they are not much better.
The country club type, let’s say Bush&co, are equally screwing us.
What else is the encouragement of illegal immigration, such that very few benefit at the expense of the vast majority of us?
And the fact that this country, great due to the Anglo-Saxon flavour of the European tradition is allowed to be conquered wo. any shot fired?
What will our kids and grandkids say about our generation?

Moving on to more important issues …
As to CPAC Â–- yÂ’know, where Ann said the f_ _ _ _ _ word? — AJ Strata discusses Â“the drive for mythical purityÂ” in Republicans Are Wandering In The Political Desert:…

Terrye,
Phyllis Schafly is a very strong republican woman who has done a lot through Eagle Forum. She has a very strong voice and is highly respected by Republicans. Look her up on Eagle Forum to learn more.